As I start this story with the beginning bold print, I’m instantly brought into a Poe-like feeling of mystique and I’m reading well into the night. The geography – east Germany. A woman is gifted a birthday present to return to an old hospital in search of… no spoilers here. The writing is vividly lush and engrossing where I can feel the cold floors and horror coursing through the protagonist. Long skirted nurses with white aprons dance from the page and the characters are cast with one chilling character interjected: an Austrian who scribbles in his notebook, who landed in the hospital during WW1 with a minor wound. Set into an already mysterious storyline this character adds to the ominousness echoing thought the pages of this well-written, tightly cast story. The author has a brilliant way of depicting the characters emotions directly and indirectly, for instance in seeing the man writing in his journal she’s repulsed. That with a juxtaposition with a Mongol kid is brilliantly portrayed where pureness of spirit isn’t always available on the surface. This extraordinary story unfolds, layer upon layer, and brings together an exceptionally unforgettable story. Highly recommend.